There’s Victory in Vancouver

Vancouver Victory Owner and General Manager Barrett Goddard may have sounded crazy three years ago saying he expected to win a Evergreen Premier League (EPLWA) championship within just four years of his franchise's inception.

Look who’s laughing now.

Last weekend, the team wrapped up the 2016 season and will get to be called kings of the EPLWA for the next nine months.

“I’m so proud of our players,” said Goddard. “They gutted out some tough games.”

In the end, Vancouver finished with a 10-2-2 record, one of the best in EPLWA history.

Though it seems like its quest to the top happened rather quickly, the journey had its hardships.

In the team's first year (2014) it finished 8-5-1 and was in the running all the way until the last two matches of the season.

“We didn’t really know what we were then, and we came that close,” said Goddard.

His team identity comment is in reference to how the roster was originally built. Essentially, the EPLWA is a men’s semi-pro league, and so the players are a mix of current and former college guys as well as some ex-pros.

Goddard says that mixture on his roster made things complicated and not as cohesive as it should have been in 2014.

“We wanted to hold true to core players, not any delusional guys thinking they were about to be on their way into the pros,” Goddard said. “We wanted like minded players.”

That formula set the Victory on a better track going into 2015, but then another problem arose, the inability to finish strong.

Halfway through last season, the Victory were 7-0 and could smell a title. However, in the back half stretch the wheels came off the wagon as they closed out the year 1-5-1, giving them an identical record to 2014.

“Last year, we felt like the best team in the league, but faltered down the stretch,” said Goddard.

This summer, Vancouver was determined to redeem themselves, and their wish was granted. Midway through the season, they sat 7-0-1 and in control of the competition again. Would they close the deal this time, or fade away like before?

A 2-1 loss to Seattle followed by a 1-1 tie with Wenatchee indicated it could be the latter and things looked a little dicey. Not allowing for a repeat collapse, though, Vancouver bounced back with a convincing win over Bremerton 3-0. A week later, thanks to losses by the next closest team in the league, the Victory clinched the crown.

“The season’s a grind,” said Goddard. “We had great resilience.”

But even with the beautiful trophy now in hand, no trace of complacency could be found in Goddard’s voice.

“Our goal now is to repeat,” he says. “We’re highly motivated.”

Spokane won the first two titles in the EPLWA’s three-year history. Going forward, the focus is to get on par with them.

“We don’t want to be the second best team,” said Goddard, who acknowledges that despite winning this year, there’s still much work to do in his bigger picture goals which seem to be molding a dynasty.

“After four years of EPLWA it would be nice to have Spokane and Vancouver as the benchmarks for the league. You don’t wanna be below the top,” he said.

But for now, nobody is going to recognize them as anything less than the best, at least not around these parts. After being crowned champs, the Victory’s social media has exploded and hundreds of congratulatory messages have been received.

“We’re getting close to where I want to be,” says Goddard on the reception of the team by the area over the last few years. “I think we’re becoming a household name in the community and there’s some die hard fans.”

To learn more about the Vancouver Victory, visit their websitevancouvervictoryfc.com or find them on Facebook and Twitter. More information about the EPLWA is available at eplwa.wordpress.com.